


Mourning

by darkrogue1 (Lily_Haydee_Lohdisse)



Category: Kyou Kara Maou!
Genre: Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-11-05
Updated: 2006-11-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 13:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7686097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lily_Haydee_Lohdisse/pseuds/darkrogue1
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wolfram dies and Yuuri is devastated…</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mourning

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [](http://slytherisa.livejournal.com/profile)[**slytherisa**](http://slytherisa.livejournal.com/) for beta-reading ^^.

No one had ever thought it could happen like this. Of course the king’s job was dangerous… but Yuuri was loved by his people, and when a lone bowman had fired it had been Wolfram who, being the closest, had jumped in the way and saved his fiancé. The Maou’s fury would never be forgotten by his people, neither would the young king’s tears be. He had shed them afterwards, when Gisela had announced that nothing could be done and that the blond demon was already dead.

Yuuri’s despair had been heartbreaking, but he had gone on with his duty, helping for the organisation of a national burial ceremony. Cheri and her remaining sons had also been very sad. Conrad had wept for his younger brother, but he had seen Yuuri’s devastated state and been careful to feel the young man’s presence at every instant, through his instinct and experience if he couldn’t see him through his tear-filled eyes. He knew how Yuuri had loved Wolfram. There had been slight touches and words of reassurance to the king, but Yuuri was so lost in his grief that he couldn’t be reached by his retainers’ heartfelt condolences.

Then after the burial, life had gone on again. Yuuri would smile for his daughter, and fulfil his duty as the country’s king, but his smile was not complete and the innocence in his eyes seemed subdued by the recent tragedy. However, if life during the day seemed to be back to normal, life at night had suffered a lot more changes. During the weeks following the funeral, the young king would wake at night, shouting his fiancé’s name and crying out for him. Then he would break out into heart wrenching sobs that hadn’t weakened since the first day. Only when he couldn’t cry anymore would he find sleep again, an agitated sleep filled with nightmares.

Conrad had moved to the room next to Yuuri’s, and each and every night, when the king woke up crying, he went to the other room to gently hold the young man, offering a silent support and drying up the tears until Yuuri could find his uneasy rest again. Conrad already had trouble finding sleep after his younger brother’s death, and those vigils and wakes took their toll, both on him and on the king. It steadily wore them both down, until Gwendal scolded the king with a few short words:  ‘A king needed to be ready at any time for his people, not half asleep when just signing documents.’

Yuuri had taken the matter at heart and a short while before the day was over, he had spoken to his usual confidant. 

"Would you sleep in my bed?" He had asked Conrad. And Conrad had understood. The serious tone of the king and even just the way he had asked the question, everything told Conrad that Yuuri had carefully pondered the matter, and been careful in the way he had voiced it. And as he agreed, Conrad’s heart also constricted, for he felt that the wording of the sentence was there to keep a very present phantom away, so that there could be no misunderstanding.

And indeed Yuuri slept better with someone by his side. He seldom woke and nightmares occurred less often, but he still hadn’t gotten over Wolfram’s tragic death. And when he woke, Conrad would still be there, holding him and calming him.

There was talk.

Both Gwendal and Gunther scolded Conrad; how dare he sleep in the same bed as the king! But Conrad’s sad smile didn’t falter as he answered how the king’s sleep was worth more than anything that could be said about him. Both demons relented and then silently pitied the soldier, who was giving what he could, but was giving it all. However, that didn’t stop the others from whispering rumours and comments of how Sir Weller was sharing the king’s bed, and they weren’t even betrothed… and the poor king, so sad after his fiancé’s demise that he took the man’s older brother in his bed.  
   
Conrad ignored it all and made as if he did not hear the whispers that he couldn’t help overhearing. No one blamed His Majesty, after all.

But when finally the king got wind of what had been said, of what was still being said, he was shocked. He was shocked, sad and confused, and felt slightly guilty because he hadn’t thought of those kinds of repercussions. And when he couldn’t find a solution he went to his usual confidant, and asked Conrad’s advice on what he should do.

After he had asked, he looked at Conrad, and Conrad’s eyes were glimmering with sadness; hope didn’t have time to find its way there before being overtaken by reality. And Conrad evaded with the response: a king can do as he wishes, and he would agree with anything Yuuri decided.

And so later, when Yuuri announced that he and Conrad were betrothed, he older half-demon was not surprised… Still nothing changed, only the talks disappeared, but Conrad understood: he had understood it even before the Maou had finished asking for advice.

So Conrad now ponders how his brother’s ghost stands between them even more than he did when he was alive. Sometimes he wakes up with Yuuri in his arms, and carefully detangles himself from the young man. Then he watches Yuuri as he sleeps, and instead of the "Sleep well, love" that naturally comes to his lips, he says "Sleep well, Yuuri", just in case the king wakes up: the former would be too hard to explain.


End file.
